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Circa 1916-1917 Boston Red Sox D&M Photograph Album with Multiple Type I Babe Ruth Images from The Dick Hoblitzell Collection
Rare 1916 Boston Red Sox souvenir photograph album, prepared by the Draper & Maynard Sporting Goods Company, consisting of twenty-one photographs, including seven that feature Babe Ruth. In October, 1916, the Boston Red Sox, fresh off their World Series victory over the Chicago Cubs, toured the state of New Hampshire as guests of the Draper & Maynard Company, which was based in Plymouth, New Hampshire. The team was feted at every town it visited, many of which presented the club with a ceremonial “Key to the City.” The following January, Draper & Maynard sent each player a souvenir photograph album chronicling the trip. (We have seen one other, presented to Tillie Walker.) Offered here is the album presented to Red Sox first baseman Dick Hoblitzell and it is accompanied by the original D&M cover letter (affixed to the first page), which is dated January 9, 1917, and signed by company vice president J. Edward Maynard. The interior photos capture members of the Boston Red Sox partaking in various activities during the trip, including town celebrations, a hunting excursion, and a tour of the D&M factory. Babe Ruth was already the team’s biggest star and he looked the part here, as he is seen in most photos wearing a fur coat and cap. Ruth is featured prominently in three of the photos, and he can also be spotted among the group of players in four others. We know that all the photos in the album are Type I examples, because we carefully removed two and submitted them to PSA. Those two photos, both of which picture Babe Ruth, were certified as Type I examples, and appear as separate lots in this auction. Sixteen of the photos measure 5x4” and the remainder are approximately 4.5x3.25”. All are affixed (by means of an adhesive) to the album page and are otherwise in Excellent to Mint condition. As noted earlier, this is just the second such album we have seen. Since they were presented only to team members, their number was quite limited, and it is unknown how many others have survived. The offered album has been consigned directly by a member of the Hoblitzell family and is new to the hobby. The leather-bound album (7.25x5.75”) displays moderate exterior wear and is otherwise in Excellent condition.
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